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H. S. MAXIM. MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES. No. 430,212. Patented June 17, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,212, dated June 1'7, 1890.

Application filed December 19, 1888. Serial No. 294,087. (No model.) Patented in England November 8, 1888, No. 16,213; in France January 28.1889, No'.194,792; in Spain February 20, 1889, No. 8,991; in Belgium February 28, 1889, No. 85,098; in Italy April 16, 1889, and in Germany October 17, 1889, No. 49,154.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM STEVENS ll/IAXIM, mechanical engineer, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Explosives and to Apparatus Therefor, (which invention has been patented by me in the following countries: in England, November 8, 1888, No. 16,213; in France, January 28, 1889, No. 194,792; in Belgium, February 28, 1889, No. 85,098; in Germany, October 17, 1889, No. 49,154; in Spain, February 20, 1889, No. 8,991, and in ItalyApril 16, 1889,number not known,) of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to the manufacture of explosives for use in firearms and for other purposes.

The main object of my said invention is .to provide an explosive which will be comparatively smokeless, or will by its combustion produce much less smoke than gunpowder, and which, when used in a fire-arm, will burn slowly as compared with ordinary gun-cotton and will exert a high and continuous pressure on the projectile.

Gun-cotton has most of the elements or qualities requisite in an explosive for use in fire-arms that is to say, when properly prepared it is stable and very powerful, it produces but a small quantity of smoke, does not injure metallic cartridge-cases, and is not sufficiently hygroscopic to impair its efficiency. As hitherto manufactured, however, it has the disadvantage that it is too quick or sudden in its action. I obviate this defect by my invention, as hereinafter described.

Attempts have heretofore been made to manufacture explosives from collodion obtained by the treatment of the low grades of gun-cotton with ether and alcohol. By the low grades of gun-cotton I mean those which are readily soluble in ether or alcohol, or in a mixture of these substances, and which contain but a small percentage of oxygen. These low grades of gun-cotton are unstable, do not withstand the action of sunlight, and as they do not contain sufiicient oxygen to consume all of the vegetable matter of which they are composed they produce in burning a large quantity of smoke.

Now my invention comprises improved methods or processes whereby I am enabled to manufacture pellets, grains, or other forms of powder or explosive material from the higher grades of gun-cottonthat is to say, the highly-explosive grades thereof, which are not soluble in ether or alcohol.

W'hen gun-cotton is dissolved, it forms a thick gelatinous mass which is very diflicult to manipulate by the means heretofore used for thispurpose. Moreover, in the methods of manufacture heretofore adopted a very large quantity of liquid or solvent is required to bring the dissolved gun-cotton to such a consistency that it can be spread out to be dried. Consequently the manufacture of explosives from gun-cotton has hitherto been very costly.

By my improved methods or processes and apparatus the quantity of liquid or solvent required is greatly diminished, the loss of such liquid or solvent by evaporation is reduced to a minimum, the facility of manipulating the dissolved gun-cotton and of making the explosive or powder is much increased, and the cost of manufacture thus greatly diminished.

In carrying out my invention the highlyexplosive gun-cotton is treated as follows, viz: It is first reduced to a pulp in Water in a rag-engine or pulping-machine, and the said pulp is thoroughly washed and dried. The dried pulp is then placed in a strong metal cylinder provided with a piston, and the air is exhausted from the said cylinderthat is to say, a vacuum or partial vacuumis created therein. The vapor of acetone, either alone or mixed with ether or alcohol, or with both of these substances, is then allowed to enter or is forced into the said cylinder. The air being entirely removed from the interior of the fibers of the cotton, the acetone vapor will penetrate to the core of every fiber, and the product will be quite free from air-bubbles or empty spaces, such as exist in ordinary gun-cotton, and into which, when the,

material is exploded while closely confined, the inflamed gases are forced by the pressure developed, thus causing the too rapid explosion of the gun-cotton when detonated by fulminate of mercury.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal section on the line as 00, Fig. 1, illustrating one form of my apparatus for the manufacture of explosive material. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section showing a modified form of part of the said apparatus. Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, showing a machine, hereinafter described, for cutting or dividing strips of the explosive material into small pieces or grains.

A is the cylinder in which the gun-cotton is to be dissolved.

B is a closed vessel for containing the acetone or other solvent. 0 is a tank in which the said vessel B is placed, and which is to be I filled or partly filled with water, suitable provision being made for heating this water to vaporize or evaporate the said solvent; or other suitable provision is made for vaporizing or evaporating the acetone or other solvent.

' In the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the cylinder A is provided with a removable or detachable cap or cover a at one end thereof, and with a piston 12, the rod b of which passes through a stuffing-box a in the said cap or cover a. The other end of the cylinder A is provided With a nozzle 0, having a cook or valve 0. The vessel B is formed with a hole through which the solvent may beintroduced into the same, and which is closed by a plug B. Thesaid vessel B is connected with the cylinder A by a pipe d, provided with acock or valve d. The cylinder A is also connected by the said pipe d, and by another pipe 6,

provided with a cock or valve c, with an airpump or other apparatus.(not shown in the drawings) for pumping or exhausting the air therefrom.

My improved process is carried on by means of the above-described apparatus as follows, Viz: The cocks or valves being all closed, the cap or cover a is removed from the cylinder A, together with the piston 19. The cylinder A is then filled with the aforesaid dried pulp, and the cap or cover a and piston 19 being replaced, the said cap or cover is screwed tightly upon the end of the said cylinder, the piston 12 then being in the position indicated in the drawings. The cocks c and e are then opened and avacuum or partial vacuum is created in the cylinder A by means of the aforesaid air-pump or other exhausting appar ratus. The cook or valve 6' is then closed and the cock or valve cl opened, so that the vapor of the solvent is forced into the cylinr der A. When the gun-cotton has been dissolved in the said cylinder, the latter is disconnected from the pipe d, and, by means of a suitable hydraulic or other press acting upon the piston b, the plastic explosive material is forced out through the nozzle 0 in the form of a continuous strip or thread, and is cut into small pieces or grains. There may, if desired, be more than one aperture in the said nozzle, so that two or more strips or threads of the said material will be formed simultaneously.

The cylinder A (shown in Fig. 3) is closed at its lower end by means of a removable or detachable cover or base at, having one or more apertures a through which the explosive material will be forced in the form of strips or threads. The said cylinder has fitted therein a piston 11, consisting of two parts or disks, between which is placed a cupleather U The said disks are arranged, as shown or otherwise, so that they may be adjusted in such a manner as to clamp or squeeze the said cup-leather between them, and thus make the same fit tightly within the cylinder, so that the said piston cannot be 'moved by the pressure of the atmospherev when a vacuum is formed in the said cylinder. The said cylinder A is provided with a nozzle 0 for connection with the pipe 01, the said nozzle being provided with a cook or valve 0. The gun-cotton is treated in this cylinder substantially as above described.

The said cylinder is then disconnected from v the pipe d and placed under a suitable press, whereby the piston b is moved downward and the explosive material thus forcedout through the apertures (1 The material remaining in the cover or base a after this operation will be sufficiently stiff or solid to prevent the entrance of air into the cylinder when a vacuum is formed therein during the treatment of a fresh quantity of gun-cotton.

I prefer to employ three or more cylinders, such as that shown in Fig. 3, so that while one cylinder is under the press another cylinder can be used for the treatment of guncotton, as above set forth, and a third cylin der can at the same time be charged with guncotton.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a machine which is very advantageous for cutting or dividing strips or sheets of the explosive material into small pieces or grains.

D is the frame of the machine. 1

E is a cylinder or roller formed of or covered with wood or other suitable material and mounted upon a shaft f, carried in bearings in the frame D. The said shaft f has fixed thereon a crank-handle f for rotating the said roller E by hand, or the said shaft may be connected in any convenient manner with a steam-engine or other suitable motor.

G is a roller provided with a series of circumferential knives or cutters g, and H is another roller provided with a series of longi- Y tudinal knives or cutters h. r

'i is a strip of explosive material, which is inserted between the rollersE G. The shaft f being then rotated, the said strip will be drawn through between the said rollers G H and the roller E, and will bedivided longitudinallyby the knives or cutters g and transversely by the knives or cutters h. A guide in is, if necessary, provided for insuring the entrance of the strip between the rollers E H.

The explosive material manufactured by the improved process above described being very dense and free from air-bubbles or vacant spaces will not yield under the enormous pressure in the gun. I can therefore make an explosive or powder which will explode slowly enough to be used in any de scription of fire-arm. Moreover, I can vary the rapidity of burning or explosion of the material by varying the size of the grains thereof.

What I claim is 1. The process herein described of manufacturing explosives from gun-cotton, which consists in confining the fibrous gun-cotton in a receiver, exhausting the air from the same, then introducing vaporized acetone or its equivalent into the exhausted receiver and dissolving the gun-cotton, and then expelling the dissolved gun-cotton by pressure from the receiver, as set forth.

2. The process herein described of manufacturing explosive material, which consists in reducing gun-cotton to pulp, washing and drying the same, then confining it in a closed receiver and exhausting the air therefrom, and then introducing vaporized acetone into the exhausted receiver and dissolving the guncotton therewith, as set forth.

3. The process herein described of manufacturing explosive material, which consists in reducing gun-cotton to pulp, washing and drying the same, then confining the pulp in a receiver, exhausting the air therefrom, then. admitting into the receiver the vapor of acetone or its equivalent, and then expelling by pressure the dissolved gun-cotton, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM.

Witnesses:

ALBT. G. WEAVER, GEO. BARNETT. 

